Where to go from here?, Why couldn't Porsche just use a chassis... Options

[amphiduck]

I just stripped out all of the interior on my '74 2.0 to check out the inner longs, figuring something had to be wrong due to what my outer longs looked like. Picture of outer long is driverside. My driver door is sticking when I'm inside, and I have to put my shoulder into the door to get it open. The door gaps look good though, so I don't really know what the problem is. Also, my jack triangles are rusted through. How do I proceed from here? Buy new inner/outer rockers, jack donuts/triangles and cut everything underneath the cab out? I have a set of new floorpans, but I'm guessing that won't fix the sticking doors since they aren't very load bearing.

[Rob-O]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow that 'pull the long off' train down. First, tell us more. Does the door open using the outside handle? Does the outside handle work correctly? In other words, is it loose when you grab the handle? Or does it feel like there is resistance there when you pull the handle? On the inside, pull the door panel off. Many times, you'll get some water damage to the door panel, which makes it warp, which causes it to come into contact with the rod that actuates the mechanism. Does the inside door handle feel loose? Or does it feel like it has resistance?

Answer those questions and we'll go from there. Or get some jackstands and cut the rocker off, your choice (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

He clearly states in his original post that when inside the car he has to use his shoulder to shove the door open. A classic sign of a buckled tub. Some of us have been around these cars for a while. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

C'mon Scotty, play nice. As far as having to put your shoulder into it to open the door, I've seen the latching mechanism on these cars stick before, or get hung up on the striker plate. If someone went to all that trouble of putting a long on, I'm thinking they might have gone to all the trouble of trying to readjust the door beforehand or afterwards as well. Besides, he clearly states that the door gaps look good. Maybe it's not sagging or twisted from the removal and addition of that new long.

Not sure where you're going with the 'some of us have been around these cars for awhile'. I've been around them a long time...maybe even longer than you! Heck, most of the people on this board have been around them a long time, maybe too long! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) Besides, in repairing these cars, or just about anything, I subscribe to the 'make a list of things it could be and start with the easiest things first' rule. I'm not saying it isn't the long, I'm saying it's a tad bit easier to check, fix and repair the latching mechanism than it is to pull and replace the long. I'd be pissed as hell at myself (and probably you too) if I was a newbie with these cars and pulled the long and replaced it based on advice given here only to find out later that is was the latch...

[scotty b]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow that 'pull the long off' train down. First, tell us more. Does the door open using the outside handle? Does the outside handle work correctly? In other words, is it loose when you grab the handle? Or does it feel like there is resistance there when you pull the handle? On the inside, pull the door panel off. Many times, you'll get some water damage to the door panel, which makes it warp, which causes it to come into contact with the rod that actuates the mechanism. Does the inside door handle feel loose? Or does it feel like it has resistance?

Answer those questions and we'll go from there. Or get some jackstands and cut the rocker off, your choice (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

He clearly states in his original post that when inside the car he has to use his shoulder to shove the door open. A classic sign of a buckled tub. Some of us have been around these cars for a while. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

C'mon Scotty, play nice. As far as having to put your shoulder into it to open the door, I've seen the latching mechanism on these cars stick before, or get hung up on the striker plate. If someone went to all that trouble of putting a long on, I'm thinking they might have gone to all the trouble of trying to readjust the door beforehand or afterwards as well. Besides, he clearly states that the door gaps look good. Maybe it's not sagging or twisted from the removal and addition of that new long.

Not sure where you're going with the 'some of us have been around these cars for awhile'. I've been around them a long time...maybe even longer than you! Heck, most of the people on this board have been around them a long time, maybe too long! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) Besides, in repairing these cars, or just about anything, I subscribe to the 'make a list of things it could be and start with the easiest things first' rule. I'm not saying it isn't the long, I'm saying it's a tad bit easier to check, fix and repair the latching mechanism than it is to pull and replace the long. I'd be pissed as hell at myself (and probably you too) if I was a newbie with these cars and pulled the long and replaced it based on advice given here only to find out later that is was the latch...

I wasn't not playing nice. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Could it be the latch? sure. BUT given the previous repair, the fact that you can see the garage floor through the cars structural spots, I doubt it. FWIW I have seen several cars with htis same problem with " good " gaps that had bent chassis from improper bracing during repairs.